Reality Check

This is not a recent "letter to the editor" but in my view this professor makes some excellent points. I only found it today ...

" 'Real-World' Reality Check

As a college graduate and now 25 yrs later as a college Professor, I believe that I have a fairly unique perspective on the diminishment of the quality of the education that we are able to offer our students. In a shop class learning how to weld 25 years ago we had 10 students/teacher; now, I have a maximum class size of 26 students learning how to weld. (Have any of the readers ever tried to teach a hands-on skill like welding to 26 people at once? What we have is one teacher putting out fires and trying to keep 26 people from hurting themselves. In Alberta the same high-demand occupation has a student teacher ratio of 12:1.) In a theory class 25 years ago we had 20 students/teacher; now, I have a maximum class size of 52 students (and we don’t have TA’s to do our marking like the University Professors). In terms of class sizes this is a 260% increase.In the program that I took 25 yrs ago a full year of training amounted to a minimum of 800 hrs; now we try to teach the same program (and give out the same diploma) after only 600hrs/year.This is a 25% decrease in teaching time.I think that our program is a microcosm of the problems within the system. Speaking to faculty colleagues I see the same problems occurring in all college programs. What is driving this decrease in quality? #1: The province provides only about 75% of the grant funding to college students that it does to students in a university program. (How much material and equipment are required by universities to educate students for a B.A. in English, verses teaching an apprentice Millwright how to weld?)#2: Ontario has the lowest per/student funding to college students of any province. (Where is the industrial heartland of this country?)#3: From 1988 to 2003 the full-time enrollment of the college’s increased by >50% while the number of full-time faculty has dropped by >20%.I am concerned for our current students; however I am more concerned that if we don’t turn this trend around now this province is going to be in even worse shape in regards to a skilled-trades shortage. Don’t people realize that the wealth creating jobs and industries rely upon skilled-trades and the university grads with BA’s are a dime a dozen?This is why I am on strike.
P.S. – I do not make anywhere near $94,000 per year; but I can tell you that I was making more than that in industry prior to becoming a college Professor. I certainly didn’t come to the college system to get rich. If that was what I wanted I would be in Northern Alberta right now doing just that! Prior to being ASKED to come to teach at my college 5 yrs ago, I worked in the 'real-world' for 20 years. I took a cut in pay with my eyes-wide open. The college's in general struggle to find qualified trades people to teach because they rarely offer full-time positions and the wages are often not competitive with the 'real-world'. If push-comes to shove I could go out into industry and make that kind of money again...and the college system and the students will be the poorer for it."

Source: http://www.parrysoundnorthstar.com/1142440375/